Pictures:
A lab building at SERC.
A map of hectares undergoing study at SERC.
A group photo of my team.
A group photo of my team.
A map locating each member of 14 tree species.in one area. There are a lot of the same trees we have here. It has been rewarding learning to identify them without leaves using bark, branching pattern, and bud shape.
Dear Students,
Today was balmy compared to yesterday, and that is a good thing since we were outdoors all day. We spent most of the day gathering the forest data on trees. The size of this project is enormous! 16 hectares of trees are being measured…we only measured the trees in about a 10th of one hectare today. The video shows some of the following: Each team is assigned a subplot. We measure the DBH (diameter at breast height) of each tree in our 10 meter x10 meter subplot with a tape that wraps around the circumference but automatically calculates the diameter. Then we tag it, identify it and determine its precise location in the quadrat. Finally we evaluate its status as to dominance. (Is it above the others or struggling to compete for light?) All this is recorded on data tables. 5 years from now it will all be done again! The video below shows some of the process. (You will laugh at my first attempt to measure tree diameter!) There is also a picture of a tree tag we use once the tree has been evaluated. What would you expect scientists to discover in five years regarding these trees? Do you think all the trees will respond the same to climate change? Why or why not? Why should we care what changes occur in our forests? (Also scroll down to the next paragraph and photos below.)
A really cool diversion today was climbing the weather monitoring station. It is 120 feet high, so well above the tree tops. Huge ships were coming in and out of the bay and I could see Annapolis where we will go Friday to tour the Naval Academy. On the top of it are solar panels that measure the radiation from the sun, a sun tracking device, and an anamometer to measure wind speed and direction. There are also carbon dioxide monitors on the tower and at ground level. Why do you think they are measuring these factors? Ospreys live around here and could choose to nest up on this tower. They are a protected bird, so if that happens there is nothing that can be done about it. There are wire spikes to discourage that. There is a video of the tower nad photos of the equipment mentioned below. What questions do you have?
Today was balmy compared to yesterday, and that is a good thing since we were outdoors all day. We spent most of the day gathering the forest data on trees. The size of this project is enormous! 16 hectares of trees are being measured…we only measured the trees in about a 10th of one hectare today. The video shows some of the following: Each team is assigned a subplot. We measure the DBH (diameter at breast height) of each tree in our 10 meter x10 meter subplot with a tape that wraps around the circumference but automatically calculates the diameter. Then we tag it, identify it and determine its precise location in the quadrat. Finally we evaluate its status as to dominance. (Is it above the others or struggling to compete for light?) All this is recorded on data tables. 5 years from now it will all be done again! The video below shows some of the process. (You will laugh at my first attempt to measure tree diameter!) There is also a picture of a tree tag we use once the tree has been evaluated. What would you expect scientists to discover in five years regarding these trees? Do you think all the trees will respond the same to climate change? Why or why not? Why should we care what changes occur in our forests? (Also scroll down to the next paragraph and photos below.)
A really cool diversion today was climbing the weather monitoring station. It is 120 feet high, so well above the tree tops. Huge ships were coming in and out of the bay and I could see Annapolis where we will go Friday to tour the Naval Academy. On the top of it are solar panels that measure the radiation from the sun, a sun tracking device, and an anamometer to measure wind speed and direction. There are also carbon dioxide monitors on the tower and at ground level. Why do you think they are measuring these factors? Ospreys live around here and could choose to nest up on this tower. They are a protected bird, so if that happens there is nothing that can be done about it. There are wire spikes to discourage that. There is a video of the tower nad photos of the equipment mentioned below. What questions do you have?
Labels: SERC Campus and Forest Work
posted by Mrs. Barden @ 8:29 PM
3 Comments:
The students believed it was very important to do our part and understand by measuring and collecting data on the environment and see just how we are affecting the environment.
The students also believe that if global warming continues to affect the forests some trees will thrive and some of the normal trees will die out. The students were quite concerned about this because they realize that the trees support much life and that it will negatively affect the biodiversity and habitat of the area.
The students believe that the trees are crucial to the CO2 O2 cycle and that we should do everything we can to understand them and there needs.
Student students:
Whats the biggest tree you've measured?
How many different types of trees have you seen, and what is the most common type you see?
What if any animals have you seen?
What do you expect the trees will do in five years?
You are right if you said that forests are essential in the storage of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen because they are the largest volume plants.And you are also right if you said that biodiversity would be affected if some trees die out and others become dominant. The biggest tree we measured was a tulip poplar, one of the most dominant tree species in these wooods, with a diamter of 94 cm.
Other tree species we are finding are red, black and white oaks, beech, 1 American elm, dogwood, 2 kinds of hickory, and an abundance of ironwood. No maples or wild cherry in our plots, unlike our LaVille woods. I have seen a herd of white tail deer but they were darker and smaller with longer tails than our populations. One squirrel was dead in apool of blood this morning on the road. When it rains the squirrels slip on th ebranches and fall to the ground. This one landed on a hard spot. Birds have been scarce except for some vultures, a hawk, and a bald eagle! After seeing the data on global warming, I expect some tree species to be showing signs of stress and others to have growth spurts. Carbon dioxide is a growth factor and so is warmth. I have become much more aware of the competition among forest trees for light. Thanks for your questions. They are interesting to me.
You are right if you said that forests are essential in the storage of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen because they are the largest volume plants. And you are also right if you said that biodiversity would be affected if some trees die out and others become dominant. The biggest tree we measured was a tulip poplar, one of the most dominant tree species in these woods, with a diamter of 94 cm.
Other tree species we are finding are red, black and white oaks, beech, 1 American elm, dogwood, 2 kinds of hickory, and an abundance of ironwood. No maples or wild cherry in our plots, unlike our LaVille woods. I have seen a herd of white tail deer but they were darker and smaller with longer tails than our populations. One squirrel was dead in apool of blood this morning on the road. When it rains the squirrels slip on the branches and fall to the ground. This one landed on a hard spot. Birds have been scarce except for some vultures, a hawk, and a bald eagle! After seeing the data on global warming, I expect some tree species to be showing signs of stress and others to have growth spurts. Carbon dioxide is a growth factor and so is warmth. I have become much more aware of the competition among forest trees for light. Scientists here are most concerned about losing the oaks. Can you think why that might be? Thanks for your questions. They are interesting to me.
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